Molecular structure and characterization of the cytokine TWEAK and its receptor Fn14 in bovine

Full-length cDNA encoding TWEAK and Fn14 from bovine was isolated. We used bioinformatics to analyze the gene structure, function, evolutionary relationships, and predicted three-dimensional structure of proteins and binding sites. Real-time quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) analysis revealed that both TWEAK and Fn14 are constitutively expressed in various tissues in bovine. Bovine TWEAK and Fn14 interaction analysis by yeast two-hybrid. Our results suggest that the TWEAK–Fn14 pathway is evolutionarily highly conserved. It will be helpful for investigation on the biological role of the TWEAK/Fn14 system in this important animal model. Furthermore, it provides insight into the molecular evolution of the emerging TWEAK and Fn14 families.